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Cougar Mountain Zoological Park
Rating Details »
- Hours:
Wed-Sun. 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
11 reviews for Cougar Mountain Zoological Park
OMFG this is the best kept secret in the NW
This place has been open since 1972 I think he said, I had never heard of it till this last week when when they were in the news, and my partner who was born here 32 years ago had not either
this is a small place you don't need all day like you do at most Zoos, but they have a lot to offer, it really amazed me to find out how many Parrots are endangered or close to becoming extinct
They are not breeders so all there Tigers are Males that is cool, the two cubs came from a litter of 4 cubs the other two are females, go and see the Kittahs before they get too big and they have to be in a pen all the time, yes they are wild and once they get bigger they won't be able to handle them up close like they are doing right now
and the 2 larger Tigers are fricken huge they both are over 350 lbs, and they are totally cool to see also, bring your camera and make some memories
Remember they are a non profit so bring cash, and they don't have food but they do have tables so bring a sack lunch and some bottles water and make it a pick-nick
There is something charming about this small place, but the staff seems to be on their own little power trips. "don't stand near the fence!" ..."get away from the fountain!" ... " Blah blah blah" . There are a bunch of great statues of animals that are the perfect size for a kid climb on to ride. They are practically asking for it, however the moment the kids climb on they say " OFF THE STATUES"
And no drinking fountain. It cost me $27 for me and two kids. I'd give more stars if the staff was nicer and the price were a little cheaper.
Tigers are my fave animals, specifically tiger cubs! That said, HURRY up before the Bengal tiger cubs turn 500+ lbs. (they are now a few months old @30 lbs. and were 2 lbs. @birth--per the zoo staff, they grow a few lbs. a week!) They have a pair of tiger cubs and another pair of "adolescent" 2-yr-old. tigers (the 500 lb. ones, and I think they said they will be 800+ when fully grown--yikes :) Interesting for each pair, there is a white one (recessive gene) and a regular orange one, although the bigger one has cinnamon stripes instead of the black stripes. The zoo is small, but that means they can pay more attention to the animals. The staff gives a mini-lecture and lets the public see the tiger cubs play two times a day (11am & 3pm). The staff are super dedicated and friendly. Except one of the front cashier seemed autistic (no eye-contact). Bring your AAA card and you get $1 discount.
Read the reviews of this place and made sure to do what everyone said and not compare it to a big zoo like woodland. This place is in Issaquah by Lake Sammamish. I'm not familiar with the area but it was fairly easy to find. the price is kind of steep at $10.50/person for a small zoo, but I guess since these people are helping mainly endangered species it was worth it. The animals here are great, we really enjoyed the Llamas and feeding them. All the parrots & Macaws were so much fun, several birds kept saying hi, hello and peekaboo, it was great. There is numerous staff around who are friendly. Definitely a place to check out at least once.
This is a tiny and kind of weird "zoo". Maybe the same size as the petting zoo in Woodland Park Zoo?
Some of the cages are kind or retro (meaning metal and concrete and small) which is a little depressing.
Overall it's a nice size if you have toddlers. Our favorite area is the petting area where you can purchase feed for a quarter.
But what is up with the "museum" of taxidermy? Isn't kind of weird to have all of these hunted animals stuffed in a zoo? Basically this place is a throwback to a different era in my opinion.
Biggest pro is that if you want an outing with little ones - it's a fun outing and can be done in less than an hour and a half.
"The Cougar Mountain Zoo is dedicated to increasing the understanding and appreciation of the earth's wildlife and the role of humanity in nature through education, research, captive breeding, conservation, exhibition and recreation."
My family has had a membership to the Cougar Mountain Zoo since... before I can remember. I've been coming here for 21 years, and I continue to see this mission statement perused, with more and more force every year. The zoo is constantly expanding and improving, having recently added two adorable tigers and will soon acquire cheetahs!
This is not a large zoo. But it is worth visiting and supporting, especially if you live in Issaquah! They are very dedicated to improving awareness of endangered species, and have several very endangered species on exhibit.
Oh, and make sure to visit the Macaws! They are super friendly and adorable.
This is a tiny zoo. I honestly was expecting something bigger but kind of glad it wasn't. Staff are abundant if one has questions or directions and they are mighty friendly and stern about not interaction with the animals which is a good thing, wouldn't want to see little Johnny or Susie lose a fingers :) The grounds were nicely kept as well and the cages/pins. One thing that I did not like at all was the stuffed animals in the gallery. I found this very tacky, gross and inhumane with the stuffed monkey and different animal heads on the walls. I feel that this distracts from what their purpose is and that is the protection of furry critters. But that aside the animals looked well cared for and did not look stressed at all. Everyone looked plump and healthy :) Here is the link http://www.youtube.com... to the two new baby kittahs the zoo just got a week or so ago. I really want to see this zoo do well, expand and bring in more animals.
Overall: A lovely little quaint zoo with endangered species
It seems so funny that we've not been to the Cougar Mountain Zoo until today. We've lived in Issaquah for over 15 months and the zoo is only 2 miles away from our house.
It was a dreary Saturday afternoon, but we still wanted to go out. So we found ourselves in the Cougar Mountain Zoo. It is a very small zoo, but it contains a number of endangered species including the Puma Concolor, Bengal tigers, black and white ruffed lemurs, blue and gold macaws, green winged macaw, emus, alpacas, Formosan Elks, crowned crane, swamp wallaby and the Sarus crane.
We missed out on a lot of the macaws and other birds because the staff had put them away for the evening (it was only 14:45) - so that was a shame.
This zoo has quite a few benches and tables to sit at and enjoy the view across the lake. They also have a museum/gallery, snack stop and a gift shop. The museum/gallery was quite scary, with animal heads mounted on the walls and stuffed large cats etc. The gift shop was full of the usual stuffed toy furry and apparel.
The whole circuit takes just over an hour at a leisurely stroll. There are events happening throughout the day where the zoo workers give mini lectures. It's a small walk-about-zoo, definitely do not compare it to any larger zoo - it is what it is. They do accommodate people for special celebrations - such as weddings, birthdays etc.
It's a great place to just stroll around because there aren't many visitors and all of the animals are absolutely beautiful. The parking is somewhat limited, but I assume this zoo doesn't attract many visitors. Admission price for one adult is $10.50. The staff are friendly/over friendly. We liked it here and are considering getting a yearly pass.
We went here on a whim and because we had a buy one get one free coupon in our Entertainment book. Very small and cannot be compared with Woodland park zoo. But, the staff are very interactive and always roaming the grounds to talk with patrons about whatever area they are viewing.
We heard an intetesting "mini lecture" on cougars which was cool and they had a great area of multiple Macaw birds who were pretty, entertaining, and some talked a little. They also had 2 beautiful tigers and some cute lemurs.
If you come here on a nice sunny clear day like we did they have great views of Lake Sammamish and Issaquah.
Need something to do and love animals? Arrive with no expectations of this being like Woodland Park zoo and you will enjoy yourself. Make sure and go to the mini lectures they are interesting. Oh yeah, their focus is on saving and educating about endangered animals.
Sorry, but Cougar Mountain Zoo doesn't cut the mustard. My husband and I took our two-year-old to see the reinder and "Reindeer Festival" today. Apparently "Festival" means Santa is on the premises. We sure couldn't see any other interesting happenings. Most of the zoo seemed to be closed for the winter though we were able to see the reindeer, emus, alpacas, wallabies and such. I think maybe 10-15 species were represented. Now, we don't expect a little, neighborhood zoo to measure up to Woodland Park's vast offerings, but we do expect the price of admission to scale accordingly. The kicker? It cost $29.50 for the three of us to see one hour's worth of zoo goodness. It would've cost us $21 to go to WPZ today and had about 15x the experience. Should've gone to Seattle.
Don't compare this place to the Woodland Park Zoo and you'll enjoy it for what it is. A smaller zoo (in comparison) with a huge emphasis on endangered species and environmental education. The staff is helpful and interesting and the animals are awesome. Our favorites are the cougars, reindeer and lemurs. Their programs are literally some of the best in the country and this is a beautiful place to wander.